The story

The wildfires in California have forced an exodus of estimated 950,000 people from their homes. But where have they all gone?

The American Red Cross reported Wednesday that only a small fraction of the nearly 1 million evacuees spent the past few nights at dozens of designated shelters stretching from San Diego County to Los Angeles County.

"We believe many people are staying with family and friends or going to hotels," said Red Cross spokeswoman Jeanne Ellinport in Washington. "We understand that hotel rooms are hard to find."

Fifteen hundred homes have been destroyed in the fires, according to authorities.

Kirk Shaw, office manager at the city's Days Inn Harbor View said the facility has been flooded with evacuees, many of them coming from Ramona "saying that their houses were actually on fire." Read full article »